Apparatus utilized in subaqueous building construction.



J. TAYLOR.

APPARATUS UTALIZED IN SUBAQUEOUS BUILDING cowsmucnom.

APPLiCATlON FILED FEB. 16, 1914. RENEWED JULY-5,1917- 1,237,582, Patented Aug. 21, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

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APPARATUS UTILIZED IN SUBAQUEOUS BUILDING CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16, 1914. RENEWED 'JULY,5, I917.

' 1,237,582, Patent'ed Aug. 21, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

62% 45 O O 2] .45 Q 2 v li /51117011 A v @fi EAT/Wm) JOHN TAYLOR, 0F HAMILTON, ONTARIO, CANADA.

APPARATUS UTILIZED 1N SUBAQUEOUS BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Application filed February 16, 1914, Serial No. 818,968. Renewed July 5, 1917. Serial No. 178,789.

To all'whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN TAYLOR, a subject of theKing of Great Britain, and resident of Hamilton, in the-Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, have invented cerand securing of mechanisms and constructions located under water, to obviate or overcome the use and necessity'of coifer dams and the like, to dispense with the use or aid of divers and other objectsiwhich will be made clear hereafter, and it consists essen tially of the improved construction of apparatus particularly described and set forthin the following specification and accompanying drawings forming part of the same.

In the drawings,

proved apparatus or device.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the apparatus or device at right angles to that shown in Fig. 2.

Like letters'of reference refer to like parts in the several drawings Referring to the drawings, A represents the complete apparatus or device comprising the working chamber B, the flotation or water ballast tanks G and the air lock D. The working chamber B is preferably made of wood and is constructed in the form of a rectangular parallelopiped or box open on the bottom side and provided with an air lock D onthe top side, entrance to such air lock being gained through the inwardly opening air tight door 1 and thence to the working chamber B through the downwardly opening air tight door 2.

The edges of the doors 1 and 2 are beveled and adapted to engage with the beveled edges 3 provided on the door frame, the doors being .suitably mounted on hinges 4 and tightly secured in. a closed position in the following manner:-The bolts 5 and 6 are pivotally mounted at one enduon the outer and upper faces of the doors 1 and 2, the other'end of the said bolts being thread- Figure 1 is a perspectlve view of the imed and adaptedto pass through the staples or eye brackets"? and--be secured thereto by means ofthe wing nuts 8, or in any other suitable manner. l

The working chamber is provided with a' borrowed light consisting of a wired glass window 9 located in the top face thereof and may be lighted artificially, and isfur ther provided with an internally located ladder 10 so placed as to'beiconv'enient to the door 2 and by means of which mechanics can descend into the working chamber in which a, suitable adjustable platform 11' is suspended from the eye bolts 12 by means of the block and tackle 13, or in any other like manner.

14 andr15 represent equalizing "valves'located in the top of the working chamber B and communicating with the air lock D, a further internally located equalizing valve 17 and externally locatedvalve 17 being Patented. Aug; 21,1917.

provided in the top of the air lock and'com municating with the atmosphere.

18 represents, an air valve located in the top of the working chamber B and communicating therewith, such valve being connected'at its outer endby means of the pipe 19 to a low pressure air reservoir orcom-' pressor, or any other suitable source of supply suitably located to :the working chamber. 20 represents a discharge valve located on the top of the working chamber. 21 represents an air pipe extending through the top nected to the pneumatic tools adapted tolbe utilized in the working chamber.

41 represents 'a'pressure gage located on and fixed to the top of the working chamber;

Should the pressure in the chamber 13', due to the exhaust from such pneumatic tools, become too great a safety valve 40 is pro-f vided on the top ofthe working: chamber.

The ballast tanks C extend from the lateral side of the working chamber and are firmly; secured or built thereon, such' lateral side forming the'dividing wall between the working chamber and the ballast tanks, the said ballast tanks being preferably made of wood in the form of a rectangular parallelopiped or box having the topside open to the at mosphere but *which is adapted tocarry suitable staging 23 thereon, should such be found necessary or desirable.

The ballast tanks G are further provided with valves 24 which act in the dual ca= pacity of inlet and discharge to and from the said tanks in a manner which will be made clear hereafter, such valves being operated by the spindles 25 rotatably mounted in the brackets 26, the lower end of the said spindle being rigidly secured to the valve 24 and adapted to operate the same by means of the handwh'eel 27 rigidly mounted on the upper end of the said spindles.

The working chamber B, the ballast tank C and the air lock D are lined internally withsheet metal 28 or the like, suitably secured and fixed thereto in any suitable manner, while to facilitate in communicating with the mechanics in the working chamber a telephone 29 is suitably attached to the outer side of the airlock.

42 represents anchoring legs which are slidably mounted in the brackets 43, such legs being adapted to be lowered and raised by machinery or manually and suitably secured in position. When the legs are in an elevated position they are secured to the brackets 43 by means of pins 14 designed to engage with the orifices 15 in the said legs, and the upper edge of the brackets. While in a lowered position the pins engage with the orifices and the lower edge of the brackets.

In its operation the apparatus or device is floated into a position directly located over the portion of the work it is desired to perform, where it is anchored by lowering the legs 42 to engage with the ground bottom. The valves 24; of the ballast tanks which are located at the lower part of the lateral side of the said tank and below the normal water level, and the outlet or discharge valve 20 located in the top of the working chamber are opened, whereupon the water enters the ballast tanks causing the apparatus to sink to a predetermined level and be partially submerged, the air in the working chamber being discharged through the valve 20 during this operation.

When the ballast tanks are filled the valves 24 and 20 are closed and air from the air compressor is now forced into the working chamber through the pipe 19 and valve 18, whereupon the water level in the working chamber is depressed to the desired level exposing the structure on which the desired work is to be done, while at thesame time the working chamber and ballast tanks rise partially out of the water thereby causing the water in the said. ballast tanks to stand apparatus A out of the water the valves 24 of the ballast tanks are opened, and since in the working chamber is reduced to the external or atmospheric pressure. 7

It should be clearly noted that in the elevating of the apparatus A the valves 24 through which the water is discharged from the Water ballast tanks acts in cooperation with the super-"atmospheric pressure in the working chamber to bring about the desired result.

The depth to which such an apparatus can operate depends entirely on the existing conditions, but it will be understood that the top of the apparatus must at all times be above water and although as here illus trated it only operates to a small depth it will be understood that with slight modifications of construction only, but not of the pr nciple, it can be made to operate to a depth of about sixty feet which is equivalent to two atmospheres super atmospheric pres sure, and it is desirable that, the pressure in the working chamber should never exceed this pressure which is about a maximum at which life can be sustained and useful work performed. c

Any excess of pressure. .in the working chamber is indicated by the pressure gage 4:1 and is relieved by setting the safety valve to blow off at a predetermined pressure and depress the water in the working chamber to the bottom thereof, the air will exthe said chamber, automatically stabilizing the'air pressure and working level of the apparatus.

Then the apparatus A is partially sub merged to a predetermined depth and it is desired to descend into the working chamhaust under the lower edge of the sides of ber the operator or mechanic opens the door 1 which is securely fastened behind him.

The equalizing valve 14: is now opened,

whereupon the air pressure in the air lock and the working chamber becomes. equal. The door 2- 1s now opened when the mechanic or operator can descend by means of the ladder 10 into the working chamber, the door 2 being firmly secured in a closed position after entrance has been gained in the working chamber and the equalizing valve 14 closed, and by entering in this way the depressed level of the water in the working chamber is not altered.

It will be seen in the drawing that the lo- 105 whlle should the pressure become excessive O structed Without departing from the spirit cationofthe equalizing valyesand the manner in Which they are disposedrender it .necessary that an assistant should accompany the mechanicor operator Who Wishes to descen'd into the Working casing whereby the doors and valves may be closed after the said mechanic has descended into the chamber B, but a slight modification of the method-of securing the doors ould render it possible.

that no assistant Will be necessary to effect entrance orto leave the Working chamber B.

To facilitate the determining to What depth the Working chamber has been submerged a scale is painted on the outer lateral side of-one of the ballast tanks While to prevent the pressure rising in the Working chamber thereby depressing the Water level too much the safety valve 40 is provided and it Will be clearly seen that When mechanics are Working in such a Working chamber under high pressure due to great depth, the safety valve is not only desirable but also essential. Also in entering or leaving the Working chamber it is necessary to equalize the pressure first in the air lock to that of the atmosphere otherwise the door 1 could not or Would only under great ditficulty be opened, the same holding good With respect to the door leading from the air lock to the Working chamber, and incidentally it Would be very injurious to the mechanics to go from a low to a high pressure unless by gradually changing such pressure.

Since it is desirable that the levels of the under Water construction should be clearly defined and determined a Water gage 50 is provided in the Working chamber Whereby it is possible to permit the finished construction being definitely fixed relatively to the normal Water level.

The apparatus is adapted to be made of Wood for light Work to a small depth, but When considerable depth resulting in a high pressure are to be negotiated it Will be clear that Woodand steel or steel alone Will be utilized in the construction.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently Widely different embodiments of my invention, Within the scope of the claims, conor scope thereof, it is intended that'all matter contained in the accompanying specification and claims shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is: 1. A device of the class described comprising a Working chamber open at the bottom and adapted to be lowered over sub-aqueous construction, ballast tanks mounted on the Working chamber and open to the atmosphere on the top, and means for alternately filling and emptying the tanks With Water ballast Without the use of pumps.

2. A device of the class described comprisinga Working chamber open at the bottom, ballast, tanks mounted on the Working chamber and open to theatmosphere onithe top, means for supplying air to the Working chamber and means for alternately filling and emptying thelballast tanks as the air pressure in the Working chamber is changed.

3. A device of the class described comprising a Workingchamber open at the bottom, ballast tanks mounted on the Working chamber and open to the atmosphere on the top, means for supplying air to the Working chamber, valve means designed to alternately fill and empty the ballast tanks as the air pressure in the Working chamber is changed, and means for operating said valve means.

45. A device of the class described comprising a Working chamber open at the bottom, and adapted to be loWered over subaqueous construction, ballast tanks on the Working chamber, open to the atmosphere on the top, means for alternately filling and emptying the ballast tanks, and means for simultaneously anchoring and supporting the Working chamber from the ground bottom.

5. A device of the class described comprising a Working chamber open at the bottom and adapted to be lowered over subaqueous construction, ballast tanks on the Working chamber, means for alternately filling and emptying the ballast tanks, brackets on the ballast tanks, legs slidably mounted in the brackets and means for securing the legs in a fixed position.

6..A device of the class described comprising a Working chamber open at the bot tom and having a WindoW in the upper end, ballast tanks on the Working chamber having a sheet metal lining, means for supplying air to the Working chamber, means for alternately filling and emptying the ballast tanks as the air pressure in the Working chamber is changed and means for entering the Working chamber.

7. A device of the class described comprising a Working chamber open at the bottom, an air lock operatively mounted on the Working chamber, means for supplying air pressure tothe Working chamber, means for equalizing the air pressure in the Working chamber and air lock, means for equalizing the air pressure in the airlock With the atmospheric air, ballast tanks on the Working chamber open to the atmosphere on the top and means for alternately filling and emptying the ballast tanks as the air pressure in the Working chamber is changed.

8. A deviceof the class described comprising a Working chamber adapted to be lowered over sub-aqueous construction, means for supplying air to the Working chamber, means for keeping the air in the Working chamber at a predetermined pressure, means for determining the depth of the sub-aqueous construction below the normal Water level, ballast tanks on the Working chamber open to the atmosphereon the top and means for alternately filling and emptying the ballast tanks as the air pressure in the Working chamber is changed.

In w itne'ss 'wh'e'reof I have hereuntofse't my hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

,7 Y J OHN' TAYLOR. Witnesses:

.MAL'coLM MACDONALD; THOMAS MACMILLAN.

Copies of this patent may b'e'obtain e'd for five cents eah, "by adaz'esiing the Commissioner of Eatents, Washington, D. G! 

